WASHINGTON — A feeling of disappointment reverberated through the Montreal Canadiens’ dressing room following their early playoff exit.
There was also a healthy dose of optimism.
After a spectacular season in which the Canadiens vastly exceeded expectations — reaching the playoffs ahead of schedule in their rebuild — the youngest team in the NHL’s spring dance couldn’t help but hold its head high.
“Extremely proud of everyone for where we started the season to where we are now,” captain Nick Suzuki said. “It felt like we could keep going, it felt like we could have won any of these games. It sucks right now, it sucks a lot.
“But I’m really proud of the guys and everything that they’ve learned this year.”
Montreal fell 4-1 to the Washington Capitals in Game 5 of its first-round series Wednesday, losing the best-of-seven matchup in five games to end an unexpected return to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
“Last couple years, we were developing, learning how we were going to play together. This year, there's a transition to learning how to win,” head coach Martin St. Louis said. “It took us some setbacks to really drive that home a little bit, but there was a full commitment.
“You saw us coming gradually. We still had some setbacks here and there but we would bounce higher from that."
Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson and Jakob Chychrun scored while Brandon Duhaime added an empty-net goal for Washington in Game 5.
Emil Heineman cut the Capitals lead to 3-1 early in the third period to breathe life into the Canadiens, but Washington hung on to claim the series. The Capitals will take on the Carolina Hurricanes in the next round.
Montreal's playoff appearance marked a turnaround for the storied franchise that began a full teardown — believed to be the club’s first rebuild — after a disastrous start to the 2021-22 season.
The Canadiens lived near the NHL’s basement for three years and was not a popular pre-season pick to reach the playoffs. St. Louis's group stumbled out of the gate and ranked 31st in the NHL on Dec. 1, more than a quarter of the way through the season.
A hot streak during the holiday season was one of many turning points in a roller-coaster campaign.
The Canadiens struggled again in late January and early February to fall behind in the playoff race, but rebounded with a 15-5-6 run after the 4 Nations Face-Off break in a stretch filled with dramatic comebacks.
Montreal captured the second — and final — wild card in the Eastern Conference with a 4-2 win over Carolina in its final game of the regular season.
“It definitely sucks, the season is over, but I’m really proud,” St. Louis said. “It’s a privilege for me to coach the Montreal Canadiens and to see these young guys, to be with them, watch them grow, it’s a job I take seriously, but it’s damn good group.
“I think we were the youngest team to make the playoffs since the 1970s, two years younger than the other team. I tip my cap to the players and how they evolved during the season.”
Suzuki led the way with 89 points — the most by a Canadien since 1995-96 — while Calder Trophy favourite Lane Hutson set new franchise records for a rookie defenceman.
Sam Montembeault established himself as a solid No. 1 goalie, and veterans Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher had their best seasons in years, among several other key performances in a special season.
Montembeault missed Games 4 and 5 after exiting midway through Game 3 with a lower-body injury, and rookie goalie Jakub Dobes took over in the crease.
All those players will likely return next season as Montreal aims for another playoff berth. Others won’t.
Veteran defenceman David Savard, a player teammates refer to as the team’s “dad,” played his final NHL game after announcing he would retire after the playoffs.
After the buzzer sounded, the 34-year-old Savard shook hands with the officials and hugged his teammates. The Capitals also paid their respects.
“A tough player to play against. He’s big, he’s strong and obviously sacrifices his body every shift,” Washington captain Ovechkin said. “I just tell him, ‘maybe one more year.’”
The Canadiens qualified with the fewest points (91) and worst goal-differential (-20) of any team in the playoffs.
Although the top-seeded Capitals won in five games, most games were closely contested. Washington won Game 1 in overtime before claiming Game 2 in another tight victory.
Montreal’s electric Game 3 win — the first sold-out playoff game at the Bell Centre since 2017 — was perhaps the most dominant victory of the entire matchup.
"Huge respect to that hockey team over there,” said bruising Capitals winger Wilson, public enemy No. 1 in Montreal during this series. “It was hard, I'll tell you firsthand. I had a lot of stuff coming my way, and they were hitting and we were hitting and I enjoyed a really exciting series.”
The Capitals picked up the first road win of the series with a third-period comeback in Game 4 on Sunday.
"It's disappointing,” Gallagher said. “Every game there were one or two things that were the difference and that's part of learning. You've got to go through this. It was for most of our group the first experience here and it's the stuff you have to go through.
“A lesson you hopefully don't have to learn again.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 30, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
